Catalan Parliament braces for an independence vote

Mobile phones light up the crowd of people attending the last leg of the election campaign of the pro-sovereignty bloc 'Junts pel Si' (Together for the Yes) in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, 25 September 2015.

Catalan Parliament braces for an independence vote

The Catalan Parliament is bracing for a vote that will declare independence, the Catalan News Agency reports.

The Parliament begins debating on Thursday and will continue on Friday.

The Spanish Senate will meet on Friday to suspend Catalan autonomy. The Catalan President Carles Puigdemont will not be defending Catalan autonomy in the Spanish Senate as was expected on Thursday.

The center-right ruling Catalan party PDeCAT is said to be divided over the declaration of independence, which already has grave economic consequences for the region, El Pais reports.

Some members of PDeCAT want a simultaneous call for snap elections, which could undermine the rationale for the suspension of Catalan autonomy. It may also avert a confrontation with civic movements and public administration when it comes to the implementation of suspending Catalan autonomy.

However, the other members of the Junts pel Si coalition are committed to a declaration of independence, that is, the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) and the anti-capitalist CUP.

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